Picking Up The Pieces
by XxSasuNaruLovexX
Summary: Once again, Seto Kaiba has set up a dueling tournament, after quite a few years. He demands that Yugi come to battle him to protect his title of King of Games. But Yugi hasn't touched his deck since Atem left them and doesn't know if he can ever duel again. AtemYugi.
1. Chapter 1

Yugi walked into the game shop after school and saw his grandfather putting cards in the glass counter. "Hi grandpa, what are you up to?" he asked. "Oh Yugi! I'm just putting some new cards in the case, do you want to see them?" his grandfather asked with a smile. "Oh...no thanks." Yugi said, looking at the floor. "Yugi..." his grandfather began. "I don't want to talk about it right now." Yugi said and went up to his room.

Yugi shut the door and dropped his backpack on the floor. He went to reach for the puzzle around his neck and sighed. "After all this time and I still reach for the puzzle...even though it hasn't been around my neck in years." Yugi said to himself. He flopped down on his bed and stared at the ceiling, thinking about Atem. "I miss you as much as I did the day you left..." Yugi whispered and turned to face the wall, letting the tears run down his cheeks.

"Oh, hi , is Yugi here? I didn't see him after school." Tea said, walking into the store. "I think he's having a rough day today, he didn't want anything to do with my new cards I just got in." he frowned. "Poor Yugi...he just hasn't been the same since the pharaoh left us." Tea said. "Well, they did share a brain for years, he must be feeling a tad bit lonely." his said. "But he always has us, he should know that." Tea said. "But when you guys weren't around, it was just Atem and Yugi. Think about it, if you had someone that you could always talk to, that was with you wherever you went and they just left, wouldn't you be a bit lonely?" he asked. "Well yeah, but...it's been a few years since then." Tea said. "Why don't you call Joey and the others and have them come by? He needs some cheering up. Just please, remind them not to mention duel monsters around him." he smiled. "Okay, that's definitely going to help cheer him up." Tea said and ran to call the others.

/~***~\\\\\\\\\

Yugi came out of his room and sat in the living room with his friends and grandfather. "You feeling any better Yug?" Joey asked. "Yeah, thanks for coming over." Yugi smiled. "So your grandpa said he had some new cards-" Joey was cut short by Tea punching him. "What did I say before you came over?!" Tea yelled. "Tea, no, it's okay." Yugi said. "We just don't wanna upset you buddy." Tristan said. "At some point, I'm going to have to get used to this." Yugi said. "But Yug, you haven't even looked at your cards since that day." Joey said. "I honestly don't know if I'll ever be able to look at them again." Yugi said. "Yugi, don't say things like that!" his grandfather said. "It's only the truth grandpa...I'm not sure I can ever duel again." Yugi said, looking down. "Do you think that's what the pharaoh would have wanted?" Duke said, finally speaking up. Yugi looked up at him and the others watched for Yugi's reaction. "No...he would want me to keep dueling..." Yugi said. "Uh hey, guys...isn't that Kaiba on the TV?" Tea said, looking over. "Turn it up!" Joey said.

"Fellow duelist, it's been a long time, but once again, I'm going to begin a brand new tournament." Kaiba said. Everyone in the room gasped. "I thought he was done with all of this." Duke said. "This time, the rules are a little bit different." Kaiba said. "Aren't they always?" Joey asked. "We are going to once again be using the duel disk system, but to get to the finals, you must defeat a group I've trained to be elite duelists. If you win, you will receive a small piece to a puzzle that will connect to make a star. Once you have all of your pieces and have the star, come to Kaiba Land for further instructions." Kaiba said. "What is he trying to pull now?" Tristan asked. "And if the King of Games wants to come out of retirement to protect his title, I will expect you there Yugi!" Kaiba said and the screen went blank. "Of all the times to do this, he chose now?!" Tea yelled. "Yug..." Joey began, but saw that Yugi had run out of the room. "Yugi!" the all yelled. Yugi locked himself in his room and screamed into his pillow. "Yugi, open the door, man!" Duke said. "Yugi please." Tea said. Tears were streaming down Yugi's face, he couldn't stop crying. "We ain't leaving until you open the door Yug!" Joey said. And they didn't, they sat there for hours.

Yugi got up out of his bed and went to his closet and pulled out a box that was covered in dust. He rubbed off the dust and opened it to reveal his cards and duel disk, he stared at them and with a shaky hand, he picked up his deck. "I don't have to prove anything to Kaiba..." Yugi thought and looked at The Dark Magician, he hadn't looked at that card since the last day he saw Atem. He put the duel disk and cards in his backpack and climbed out the window, he needed to be alone.

"It's been too long, I'm busting down the door." Tristan said. Joey helped Tristan knocked down the door. "Where is he?" Duke asked. Tea looked over to see the window open. "He must have climbed out of the window." Tea said. "Damnit Yug..." Joey said.

/~***~\\\\\\\\\

Yugi went down to the pier and sat, watching the sun set on the horizon. He clutched his deck in his hand and held it to his chest. "Always believe in the heart of the cards Yugi..." he heard Atem's voice in his head. "But what if I don't have the strength to do this without you?" Yugi asked himself. He sat there for a long time, staring out at the horizon, the wind blowing his hair. "You know we'll never truly be apart, right?" he heard Atem's voice again. Yugi shut his eyes tight and began to shake. "I miss you, Atem..." Yugi whispered to the wind. "Never give up!" Atem's voice was yelling at him this time and Yugi's eyes sprung open. "You're right...you would never let me give up like this...you would want me to keep dueling..." Yugi said.

"Yugi! There you are buddy!" Joey said, running up to him with the others. "I'm sorry guys, I didn't mean to sneak off like that." Yugi said. "Hey, we understand, but you scared your grandpa to death!" Tea said. "After sitting here for a while and thinking, Atem wouldn't want this for me..." Yugi said. "You're damn right he wouldn't." Tristan said. "I'm going to duel again." Yugi said, tears running down his face. "We believe in you Yugi!" Duke said and they all hugged him. "And Yugi, never forget, he's always with you." Joey smiled. "Thanks guys." Yugi smiled and held his cards tight.


	2. Chapter 2

Yugi took a deep breath as he put his deck in his pocket and his duel disk on his wrist. 'I don't think I can do this...' Yugi thought, looking in the mirror. He walked to the door and placed his hand on the door knob. His hand was shaking, he couldn't turn the knob. He ran into the bathroom and locked the door. He rolled up his sleeve and looked at the scars on his arms and he looked at the scars. He had one for every day that Atem had been gone. "I should be stronger than this..." Yugi whispered and put the small blade to his wrist, he pressed it down and slid it slowly across his wrist. It calmed him down almost instantly.

He finally got the courage to open the door and walk down the street to meet up with Joey, Tristan, Tea, and Duke. "There he is!" Tristan smiled. "I didn't think you were going to come Yug." Joey said. "I almost didn't." Yugi said, walking past them without looking at them. "Yugi...you don't have to do this." Tea said, noticing how sad he looked. "I have to Tea...it's what he would have wanted." Yugi said, reaching for the puzzle that wasn't there. "Well, let's go get Kaiba!" Joey said. "Maybe you should calm down Joey, you haven't been able to beat him." Duke said. "Watch it!" Joey said. Everyone giggled, except Yugi.

"I can't take Yugi like this anymore." Tea whispered to Joey. "Don't worry Tea, I think this is exactly what he needs to snap out of this." Joey said. "I hope you're right." Tea said, worried. 'Oh Pharaoh, I wish you were still here.' Tea thought as she watched Yugi walk in front of her.

"It's Yugi Motou!"

"The King of Games!"

"He's back?!"

Yugi listened to all of the voices around him, praising him, remembering him. He really hadn't realized how long he had been out of the dueling scene. "Yugi?!" Mai exclaimed. "Mai!" Joey yelled and ran to her. "I said Yugi, not Joey, you big lug." Mai said, hugging him. "Yeah, I missed you too Mai." Joey said. "It's been so long since I've seen you Yugi...I heard you kinda dropped out of the dueling circuit." Mai said. "Yeah..." Yugi just nodded. "Kaiba always brings out the competitiveness in you, doesn't he?" Mai asked. "Yeah, I guess you could say that." Yugi faked a smile. "Well, I'm off to my first duel, smell you guys later!" Mai said and walked off towards her duel.

"I want to duel Yugi!"

"No, me! I'm gonna defeat him!"

"Wrong. I'm going to defeat Yugi." Kaiba said, making the crowd go silent. Kaiba and Yugi stood there and stared at each other. "I didn't think you would come out of retirement Yugi. Seems you've lost your fighting spirit since you're little friend went away." Kaiba snickered. "Hey! You better watch it Kaiba!" Joey said, Tristan had to hold him back. Yugi just looked away, he really couldn't face Kaiba. "I'll see you at the finals Yugi." Kaiba said, handing Yugi an entry card. "No sense in wasting any time on these amateurs Yugi." Kaiba said and walked away. "That jerk!" Tea said. Yugi just looked at his entry card.

"Yugi, you can't just jump into a duel with Kaiba after being out of loop for so long." Joey said. "I know Joey, but I'm not ready to just duel anybody." Yugi said. "Then duel me!" Joey said. "I mean, I guess we could try." Yugi said. "Let's go down to the marina, not too many duelist will be there." Duke said. They all made their way to marina and Yugi took a deep breath as he activated his duel disk, he was already shaking. "Yug, you can do this." Joey said. Yugi drew his cards with a shaky hand and looked at them, his vision was blurry. "I play two cards face down, and put The Feral Imp in defense mode." Yugi said. 'Yugi barely looked at his cards, this is a lot harder for him than I thought.' Joey thought. "I summon Baby Dragon in attack mode! I also put one card face down." Joey said. "Joey, you're going easy on me. You know that Baby Dragon has lower attack points than the Feral Imps defense points." Yugi said. "Maybe so, but look Yug...you're dueling." Joey said. Yugi drew his cards and he saw The Dark Magician. ' _Yugi...'_ he heard Atem say. Yugi's eyes widened. "Yugi, are you okay?" Tea asked. "I just heard him speak to me..." Yugi said, shaking. "What? You heard the pharaoh?!" Tristan asked. "He just said my name...after I drew The Dark Magician." Yugi said and then The Dark Magician summoned himself and pointed his staff directly at the museum. "I'm sorry Joey, but I'm going to have to cut this duel short." Yugi said and he ran off towards the museum. "Yugi!" they all yelled and ran after him.

/~***~\\\\\\\\\

Yugi ran into the museum and ran straight to the stone tablet. "Yugi..." Ishizu said. "Ishizu..it's been a while." Yugi said. "Yes it has, I'm honestly surprised to see you here...I heard about the pharaoh." Ishizu said, speaking gently. "Yeah..." Yugi said, touching the tablet. "The Dark Magician lead you here, didn't he?" Ishizu asked. "How did you know?" Yugi asked. "You haven't dueled since that day, I knew that Kaiba's new tournament might bring you out of hiding. The Dark Magician was the pharaoh's guardian, it only makes sense that he would lead you here." Ishizu said. "I heard his voice when I drew that card..." Yugi said, shaking, letting tears fall from his face. "He's trying to contact you, Yugi." Ishizu said. Yugi turned to face her in surprise. "It's been years...why now?" Yugi asked. "He knows that you're in pain." Ishizu said. "Well, how do I contact him? I need to know!" Yugi said, frantic. "You need to duel Yugi." Joey said. Ishizu and Yugi turned to him, Tea, and Tristan. "He's right Yugi." Ishizu said. Yugi looked to the floor, his eyes still wet with tears. "Think about it Yugi, dueling is what brought you to the pharaoh in the first place." Tea said. "But Kaiba's tournament isn't the right way to do it, unfortunately." Ishizu said. "What do you mean?" Joey asked. "Yugi, this is something you need to figure out on your own. Your bond with the pharaoh will give you all the answers you need." Ishizu said.

Yugi left the museum, more confused than he was before. "Yug..." Joey began. "Don't." Yugi said, letting tears fall from his face. "Yugi..." Tea began, walking towards. "Don't Tea." Tristan said, holding her back. "I need to be alone right now." Yugi said and walked away. His friends didn't try to stop him, they let him go. "He's been alone...that's the whole problem." Joey whispered. "He really miss Atem." Tea said. "What do you expect? His best friend in the whole world is gone, I just don't think Yugi can get over that." Tristan said. "He needs to, it's destroying him from the inside out." Joey said, looking to the ground.


	3. Chapter 3

Yugi walked into the game store and looked for his grandfather. "Granpa, can we talk for a minute?" Yugi asked. "Of course Yugi, I just made some tea." he smiled. They sat down at the table and Yugi stared at his tea. "I'm guessing this is about the pharaoh." his grandfather said. "Yeah, I just had a few questions." Yugi said. "Fire away." his grandfather smiled. "Where exactly in Egypt did you find the puzzle?" Yugi asked. "In Giza, home of the great pyramids. It was a smaller monument, but me and Arthur just had a good feeling about it." he said. "How long did it take you to find the puzzle?" Yugi asked. "It was in the main chamber of the tomb, so it didn't take me very long to find it." he said. "What did the main chamber look like?" Yugi asked. "The years had worn it down quite a bit, but most of the carvings were still intact, there was carvings of duel monsters on the walls, just as Pegasus had said when he created the game." he said. "I drew The Dark Magician card earlier and he lead me to the museum, Ishizu was there...and I heard Atems voice. She told me that my bond with him will help me figure out how to contact him, but I'm confused. I don't know where to start." Yugi said. "Egypt would be a good start. Go back to the museum and go to the library. Look up everything you can about Atem and the days of him being the pharaoh." he said. "Thanks grandpa." Yugi said and smiled.

Yugi sat in his room and stared at The Dark Magician, hoping that he would hear Atem's voice again. 'Hearing your voice for just that split second...made me feel alive again.' Yugi thought. He looked at his arm and rubbed the scars and cuts with his thumb. "This is the closest I've gotten without you." Yugi whispered to the walls. He thought about what his grandfather said. 'Nothing in the museum or library is going to tell me anything that I don't already know...' Yugi thought and stared up at the sky. It was a clear night, the moon was shining brightly through his window. He watched a plane fly by and it suddenly hit him. He sat up quickly and went to his closet. He pulled out a box in the back of his closet, it was full of money. "Reading about Egypt isn't going to help me." Yugi said, counting his money. He got on his computer and looked up flights to Egypt. "It's time to go there for myself." Yugi said and booked his flight. He was leaving in the morning.

/~***~\\\\\\\\\

"What do you mean he's gone?!" Joey yelled. "I woke up to this note this morning. I have no idea where he went." said, he was beside himself with worry. "Yugi's lost it." Tristan said. "Where could he have gone? And why wouldn't he tell us?" Tea asked. "I got a bad feeling about this." Joey said. "He didn't leave any hint to where he was going?" Tea asked. "No, all I know is that he took his deck and his duel disk." said. "Maybe he went to face Kaiba, I mean after all, Kaiba is the decedent of the pharaoh's rival." Tristan said. "Let's go ask Kaiba!" Joey said. "Don't worry , we'll find him!" Tea said. "Thank you." he said.

Joey, Tristan, and Tea went to Kaiba Corp to talk to Kaiba. "I'm sorry, but is very busy preparing for the finals." one of his workers said. "Listen you! This is important! I don't care if Kaiba is sitting on the toilet! Now let us in!" Joey yelled. "Hey!" Mokuba yelled. "Joey, Tristan, Tea...what are you guys doing here? And where's Yugi?" Mokuba asked. "That's why were here. We need to know if your brother has him." Tea said. "Huh? What do you mean? You guys don't know where he is?" Mokuba asked. "No, he left a note saying he had to leave and he had to do it alone. We figured he might be here to duel Kaiba." Tristan said. "Let's go ask Seto, but I don't think he's seen him." Mokuba said, leading them to an elevator.

"So, this might be the wrong time to ask, but...is Yugi doing okay?" Mokuba asked. "He's far from okay. We're losing him." Joey said. Mokuba looked down to the floor and sighed. "I told Seto to just leave Yugi alone, but he won't listen." Mokuba said. "Does he ever?" Tristan asked. "Yugi hasn't been the same since that day. I could tell by the look on his face after it was all said in done...he looked like he was just empty inside." Mokuba said. They hit the top floor and went to Kaiba's office. "Seto, Yugi's friends are here, they were wondering if you had seen him." Mokuba said. "Why would I know where he is?" Kaiba asked. "He left a note saying that he was leaving and he had to go alone, they thought he might have come to duel you." Mokuba said. "I haven't seen him. He probably ran away, too afraid to face me after losing his little friend." Kaiba said. "Kaiba, you better watch your mouth!" Joey yelled. "I'll help you find Yugi, but only so I can make sure he comes back to duel me." Kaiba said. "Mokuba, use the computers to help them find Yugi. I'm leaving." Kaiba said. "Okay Seto." Mokuba said and sat down at the computer. Kaiba went to tell his crew to get his jet ready so that if he needed to go find Yugi somewhere, he could.

"How are you going to locate Yugi on here?" Tea asked. "Kaiba Corp has an advanced system that helps us locate duelists through their duel disks and certain cards that they play. But Yugi isn't showing up anywhere." Mokuba said. "His gramps said he had his duel disk with him." Joey said. "I know, that's the odd part, I can't locate it. Unless...it's outside of satellite range." Mokuba said. "Don't satellites cover the entire world?" Tristan asked. "Not exactly, Kaiba Corp only covers the country, not the entire world." Mokuba said. "So...Yugi left the country?" Tea asked. "That's what it looks like." Mokuba said. "How are we ever gonna find out where he went?" Tristan asked. "I can look up flights that left the airport between last night and now, filter out those that are within the country, and hopefully it will give us some sort of clue." Mokuba said, typing in a bunch of stuff. After a few minutes Mokuba gasped. "What is it?" Tea asked. "A flight left for Cairo really early this morning." Mokuba said. "Cairo? You mean like in Egypt?" Joey asked. "Yeah...I think you guys found your answer." Mokuba said. "How on Earth are we going to get there?" Tristan asked. "Easy. We have jets and planes that can go anywhere." Mokuba smiled. "But what about Kaiba?" Tea asked. "Don't worry, he wants to find Yugi as much as you guys do. He'll make sure we get there." Mokuba said and lead them down the hall to where Kaiba was. "Seto, we found Yugi, he's in Egypt. Get a jet ready." Mokuba said. "I'm guessing the goon squad is coming?" Kaiba asked. "You're damn right we are!" Joey said. "Fine. Just stay out of my way Wheeler." Kaiba said and lead them all to the jets.


	4. Chapter 4

Yugi landed in Cairo and took a deep breath, he couldn't believe he was actually here. He looked out the window at the airport and saw the rolling desert on one side and the bustling city of Cairo on the other.

He had a cab take him to his hotel in the city, he would be going to see the pyramids tomorrow. "Welcome to Cairo." the cab driver said. "Thank you." Yugi said and got in the back seat with his bag. "So what brings you here?" the cab driver asked. "I'm here to see the pyramids." Yugi said. "Very good sir, you're in for a treat." he said. Yugi just stared out the window at the passing buildings, he was lost in thought. 'I'll see you soon Atem...' Yugi thought.

/~***~\\\\\\\\\

"So, we never discussed how we are going to find Yugi once we get to Cairo." Tristan said. "Well you know he's gonna be at the pyramids." Joey said. "Not necessarily. The flight just landed in Cairo about three hours ago, he might just be settling in." Mokuba said. "Who cares? As long as we find him and I can win what is rightfully mine, that's all that matters." Kaiba said. "Kaiba, do you always have to be so heartless?! Yugi is going through a lot right now." Tea said. "He's just sore because he lost his good luck charm." Kaiba said. "Let me at him!" Joey yelled, Tristan pulled him back. "We'll be in Cairo in a few hours, just don't bother me. You're lucky I let you come along at all." Kaiba said, walking away. "I can't stand him!" Tristan said. "I'm sorry guys, I know he's being a bit insensitive." Mokuba. "Insensitive doesn't even cover it." Joey said.

They were all quite for a while. "I'm really worried about Yugi." Tea said. "Yeah, me too." Joey said, looking out the window of the jet. "What does he think he's going to accomplish by going to Egypt?" Tristan asked. "Isn't it obvious? He's going to try contacting him there." Tea said. "I'm more worried about him being disappointed." Joey said. Tea got quit and tears gathered in her eyes. "Tea, what's wrong?" Joey asked. "Have you guys seen Yugi's wrist lately?" Tea asked. "Uh...no?" Tristan said, quirking his head to the side. "I wasn't going to say anything, because I didn't want anyone to worry, but...I saw Yugi's arm the other day...he had cuts on them." Tea said, letting tears slip down her face. "What?!" Tristan and Joey said in unison. "I'm worried he's going to do something crazy..." Tea said. "We are gonna find him Tea, don't you worry!" Mokuba said.

/~***~\\\\\\\\\

Yugi settled into his room and went out on to the balcony and looked into the distance. The wind blew through his hair. He looked down at his wrist and thought about Atem. 'I've never been this weak...' Yugi thought to himself. He pulled out the small blade from his pocket, his daily ritual of one cut. 'If this doesn't work...I don't know if I'll be able to go on.' Yugi thought. He pulled out The Dark Magician and looked at him. " _Yugi..."_ he heard the pharaoh again. "Atem!" Yugi yelled, looking around. The Dark Magicians silhouette appeared before him. "Dark Magician..." Yugi said. "The great pharaoh Atem wishes to speak with you." The Dark Magician said. "How? How can I reach him?" Yugi asked. "Follow your heart, you know all the answers." he said and disappeared. "No!" Yugi yelled and reached towards the disappearing magician. Tears ran down Yugi's face and shook his whole body. "I need him...I love him..." Yugi cried. He curled into a ball on the floor and let the tears flow freely.

/~***~\\\\\\\\\

"We should be there in about thirty minutes guys." Mokuba said. "We need to find Yugi. He shouldn't be alone right now." Tea said. "He's been alone for a long time Tea, it's just starting to really take it's toll now that he's heard Atem speak to him." Joey said. "He has us..." Tea said. "It's not the same, just like gramps said before, it's like he's lost a part of himself." Joey said. "Do you guys remember when Yugi lost his soul to the Seal of Orichalcos?" Tristan asked. "Yeah." Tea said. "Well, think about it. Atem felt just as lost as Yugi does now." Tristan said. "Their bond goes a lot deeper than meets the eye." Joey said. "Yugi and Atem love each other, Yugi was crushed when he lost Atem. Atem was crushed when he lost Yugi." Tea said.

"Kaiba Corp jet is now descending into Cairo, please prepare for landing." the pilot said over the intercom. As they touched down in Cairo, the gang felt hopeful. "Now, how are we going to find him?" Joey asked. "You guys are on your own, I'm going to find Yugi myself." Kaiba said and walked out into the Egyptian heat. "He doesn't use his head much." Tristan said. "Let's start by asking the airport staff if they've seen him, then we will go explore Cairo for ourselves." Tea said.

/~***~\\\\\\\\\

Yugi laid back on his bed and stared at the ceiling. Tomorrow he would go to Giza and do whatever it took to see Atem again. He thought about his friends and his grandfather and how they were probably worried sick. 'I shouldn't have just left like that...but my emotions got the best of me.' Yugi thought and sat up. He couldn't sleep. He looked out into the city and saw the lights illuminating the sky. He couldn't see the stars. He leaned over his balcony and watched the street below him, then he gasped when he saw his friends walking down the road. 'How did they know I was here? How did they get here?! They can't find me before I do this!' Yugi thought and ran back into his room. He called down to the front desk and told them that if anyone was looking for him, to say that he wasn't there.

Yugi knew he shouldn't betray his friends like that, they were only trying to help. But he was scared of what they might think and that they might drag him home before he could see Atem again.


	5. Chapter 5

Yugi took a bus into Giza and could feel Atem's presence getting stronger. Yugi stepped out of the bus and walked into the desert heat. He took a deep breath. "He's here." Yugi whispered and walked towards the pyramids. Yugi walked along, taking it all in. 'I can't believe I'm here...' he thought to himself. "Excuse me?" someone said from behind him. "Yes?" Yugi inquired, turning to face an archaeologist. "Are you aware that you look exactly like an ancient pharaoh?" he asked. "I've been told that." Yugi said. "Ah, and you're here for answers, aren't you?" he asked, smiling. "You could say that." Yugi said. "I might be able to help, follow me." he said. Yugi followed him without hesitation. "I've been here studying the ancient tomb of Pharaoh Atem and I can see in your eyes that you a desperately looking for answers of your own." the man said. "What have you discovered?" Yugi asked. "Well, we know years ago that the ancient puzzle that the pharaoh wielded was taken from some ruins not far from here and that it was given to a young boy." he said. "You know who I am, don't you?" Yugi asked, stopping. "Yes Yugi. Your grandfather was a very well-known and respected archaeologist. And even thought we spend most of our time digging around rocks, we don't live under them. We know all about you. We wondered when you would finally come." he said. They continued walking and then stopped in front of a large structure. "I hope you find the answers you need, young Yugi." he said and left Yugi in front of the pharaoh's tomb.

/~***~\\\\\\\\\

Joey, Tristan, and Tea took a bus into Giza, they figured Yugi would be there. "I hope we find him today. We checked every hotel in Cairo last night." Tea said. "He doesn't wanna be found Tea." Joey said. They hopped out of the bus in Giza and looked around. "There he is!" Tristan yelled. "Yugi!" they all yelled and ran towards him. Yugi was entering the temple, he couldn't hear his friends.

Yugi walked into the temple and saw all of the withering structures before him. "Atem..." he whispered. Yugi walked up to the platform where a giant millennium puzzle was carved in stone. He touched the wall and sobbed. "Atem...I want to speak to you right away." Yugi said.

Atem perked his head up when he heard a voice. "Someone is speaking to me..." he said. He looked around him. _"Atem..."_ he heard the voice say. "There it is again, where is it coming from? And why does it sound so familiar?" Atem asked himself. The pharaoh walked through his temple, listening for the voice to appear again. _"I want to speak with you right away."_ he heard the voice speak again. He walked over to his throne and sat down. _"It's me...Yugi."_ he heard the voice say. "Yugi..." Atem said, then the memories came flooding back. "Yugi! Where are you?!" Atem yelled, looking around frantically.

" _Yugi! Where are you?!"_ Atem yelled. "Atem?! I'm here...please!" Yugi yelled, searching around frantically. "Pharaoh, pharaoh?!" Yugi screamed, tears falling from his eyes. He couldn't hear him anymore. Yugi reached into his pocket and pulled out The Dark Magician card. "Atem...please...take this. I'm not going to need it anymore." Yugi said and placed it on the pedestal in front of him. Yugi sat on the steps in front of the pedestal and cried, clutching his chest. "Atem...please return to me...I need you!" Yugi screamed.

"Did you guys hear that?" Joey asked at the entrance of the temple. "It's Yugi!" Tea said, rushing towards the inside. "Tea, wait!" Joey said. "Why?" Tea asked, tears in her eyes. "Because...I think Yugi needs to do this alone..." Joey said. "But what if he does something stupid?!" Tristan asked. "He won't...I know he won't. Don't you guys feel it? The pharaoh is here." Joey said. They all stopped and stood there for a second, they could feel his presence.

Yugi pulled out the razor blade from his pocket. He put it up to his wrist and was about to press down when he felt a force stopping him. Yugi opened his tear filled eyes and saw Atem. "Yugi, stop! Don't do this!" Atem said. "Atem...Atem...you're here." Yugi cried, tears falling down his face. "Yugi...I heard your calls...I...I've missed you so much." Atem said, he was crying too. Atem took Yugi's face in his hands. "Yugi..." he whispered, looking at his arm. "I missed you...I couldn't take it anymore." Yugi cried. "I'm here now." Atem said, embracing Yugi tight. Yugi shook in his arms, crying hysterically Atem cried with him. "Oh Yugi, I had no idea how much you've been hurting without me." Atem said, caressing Yugi's hair. "Did you find what you needed to find in the past?" Yugi asked. "Yes, I got all of my memories back." Atem smiled. "It's selfish of me to want you back with me, but I had to see you...just one more time." Yugi said, shaking. "If I could be with you, I would Yugi...I promise. I love you." Atem said, pulling Yugi's chin to look at him. "Never do this again Yugi." he said, placing a hand on his wrist. Yugi just looked into his eyes. "You need to keep dueling. The Dark Magician is our messenger. As long as you have him...I'm always with you." Atem smiled. "So...we can speak again?" Yugi asked. "Yes. Maybe not as often as we both wish, but...I will try my hardest to always be there when you need me." Atem said. Atem's spirit was starting to lift. "No! Not yet!" Yugi cried. "Keep dueling Yugi, push forward. Remember, I'm always with you." Atem said, and kissed Yugi softly on the lips. "I love you Atem." Yugi said, and the pharaoh disappeared.

When the light dissipated, Yugi looked up to see his friends standing before him. "Guys..." Yugi whispered. "Yugi!" they all ran towards him and embraced him. "Don't you ever do anything like this again, you got that?!" Joey screamed. "Take it easy Joey." Tristan said. "It's okay...I'm fine now. He was here...he was with me." Yugi said. "He's always been with you Yug..." Joey said. "I know...I just needed him to remind me." Yugi said. "Are you ready to go home?" Tea asked. Yugi stood up and grabbed The Dark Magician from the pedestal and looked up at the carving of the puzzle. "Yeah, I'm ready." Yugi said.


	6. Chapter 6

They all exited the tomb and was greeted by Kaiba. "There you are Yugi. Are you going to stop running away and finally face me?" Kaiba asked. Yugi looked at Kaiba sternly. "You'll get your duel, Kaiba!" Yugi said. "That's what I thought. Now let's get out of this stupid desert." Kaiba said, turning to walk away. The gang followed behind him. "Are you sure you're ready for this Yug?" Joey asked. "Yeah Joey, I'm ready." Yugi said.

/~***~\\\\\\\\\

Yugi returned to his home, where his grandfather hugged him tight. "I was so worried! Don't do this ever again!" he yelled. "I'm so sorry grandpa." Yugi said, hugging him back. They sat down together and talked over tea. "I saw him grandpa." Yugi smiled. "I knew you would. Your bond is unbreakable." his grandpa smiled. Yugi pulled out his Dark Magician card and looked at him. "He said that the Dark Magician is our messenger...as long as I have him, he will be able to communicate with me." Yugi smiled. "So you're going to keep dueling?" his grandpa asked. "Absolutely." Yugi said. "You need to get some rest, you look exhausted." his grandpa said. "I am, goodnight grandpa." Yugi said and went up to his room.

He laid back on his bed and stared at the Dark Magician. "Thank you Dark Magician, you've always been there for me." Yugi smiled and closed his eyes, he soon drifted off to sleep.

Atem sat next to Yugi and watched him while he slept. "I can't resist you..." Atem whispered and brushed Yugi's hair out of his face. Atem laid next to him and looked at Yugi, wishing he could stay here with him forever. "You can do this Yugi." Atem smiled and his spirit lifted away.

/~***~\\\\\\\\\

Yugi woke up early and met up with Tea, Joey, Tristan, and Duke. "You ready pal?" Joey asked. "You bet." Yugi smiled. They walked to Kaiba Corp and duelist watched Yugi walk right up to Kaiba. "You ready to do this, Kaiba?" Yugi asked. "I thought you would never ask." Kaiba smirked. They all took the elevator to the roof. Kaiba and Yugi stood on either side of the dueling field. "Let's duel!" they yelled in unison.

Yugi drew his first set of cards and on his first draw, he got the Dark Magician. He instantly felt Atem there with him. _"Yugi..."_ he heard Atem whisper. "There is no way I'm going to lose Kaiba." Yugi said. "So confident for someone who ran away to Egypt to find your imaginary friend." Kaiba laughed. Yugi just smiled and looked at Kaiba. "What are you smiling about?" Kaiba asked. "I may have lost myself for a little while Kaiba, but I'll have something you never will...I have the pharaoh and I love him, and that alone gives me strength!" Yugi said. "You're little friend is gone!" Kaiba yelled. "He was never gone Kaiba, he has always been with me." Yugi said and made his move.

/~***~\\\\\\\\\

Kaiba and Yugi were at the end of their duel. Yugi had 500 life points and Kaiba had 600. "My next move, I'll take you out and finally earn the title I rightfully deserve!" Kaiba said. "It's not over yet Kaiba!" Yugi said. Yugi closed his eyes and tried to focus. He still hadn't played the Dark Magician yet. _"Yugi..."_ Atem said and appeared before him. "Atem..." Yugi smiled. _"I told you I would always be with you. You can win this duel. Play the Dark Magician."_ Atem smiled. "Can I have a kiss for luck?" Yugi asked. _"You don't need luck, but you can always have a kiss."_ Atem smiled and took Yugi's face in his hands and kissed him hard. _"I will see you soon."_ Atem smiled and disappeared. Yugi opened his eyes and smirked. "This duel is over Kaiba." Yugi said and played the Dark Magician. "You're magician can't defeat my blue-eyes!" Kaiba said. "Maybe not on his own." Yugi smiled and played a magic card. Kaiba gasped. Yugi made his move and wiped out the rest of Kaiba's life points.

"Yeah! Go Yugi!" all of his friends yelled. "The King of Games is back!" Joey yelled and hugged Yugi. Yugi was smiling and laughing with his friends, it had been so long since he felt happy. Kaiba was throwing his usual fit. "How did you beat me?! You don't have that friend anymore!" Kaiba yelled. "Maybe he's just a better duelist than you." Duke said. "Let's go guys." Yugi said, before things got heated.

Yugi looked out over the water at the marina. "Thank you Atem..." Yugi whispered. The wind blew hard and he knew Atem was with him. "I love you." Yugi said. He felt warmth encircling him. Yugi knew that all he needed was to believe himself and Atem would always be with him. "I'll never give up again..." Yugi whispered and closed his eyes.


End file.
